"Mossgas" has, since this publication, merged with South Africa's petroleum monopoly, PetroSA. But, they are still making liquid fuel from natural gas, using the same sort of Fischer-Tropsch processing technology that Sasol, and others, use to convert syngas, produced from coal, into liquid fuels.
Note, especially, the highlight in the excerpt, below.
We were informed, by parties we believe to be knowledgeable, that WVU was very active in the coal and gas-to-liquid arena. We earlier reported on their participation in China's mammoth coal-to-liquid undertaking, and their invention of an improved coal-to-liquid technology, called, we believe, the "West Virginia Process".
As follows:
"Abstract
This paper presents a brief summary and comparison of heavy vehicle emissions using Mossgas synthetically derived diesel as opposed to a US Regular Federal 49-state number 2 diesel fuel. A series of engine dynamometer and heavy-duty chassis dynamometer tests were performed at West Virginia University early in 1999.
The Mossgas gas-to-liquid (GTL) low sulphur diesel fuel is produced primarily by the conversion of olefins to distillate (COD) process in conjunction with a high temperature Fisher–Tropsch technology process."